After a break for meetings, apart from the Youth Advisory Committee, we’re back at the Council table next Tuesday. Based on the number of Information Requests & notices of motion from members of Council over the summer, I suspect it will be a busy fall & budget season!
Agenda highlights:
Land Use Bylaw (LUB) - Flood line updates + others
This is a continuation of our public hearing/discussion from June 20, relating to updates to developable areas in response to updated information about the changing flood plains. Admin has suggested an additional possible motion, to delay this pending public feedback - I assume this would be asking the public what their risk tolerance is in terms of increasing risk to existing structures to accommodate new development, but I’m not certain.
Indoor Unboarded Artificial Turf Facility
From what I understand, this is a housekeeping motion to make sure that we continue to look into options to support the construction of an Indoor Unboarded Artificial Turf Facility. As soccer is one of the most popular and accessible sports in St. Albert, the absence of a large indoor facility continues to be a barrier to participation. Although we passed on including this type of facility in the Community Amenities site, it appears that there is still a desire to consider options elsewhere in the city.
Increase to FCSS Funding ($19,524)
At the request of the Community Services Advisory Committee, the group of volunteer residents who advise Council on a number of grants, we are considering increasing the funding to our FCSS grant to be in line with the province’s 4.5% increase that is being backdated to April 1.
Housing Accelerator Fund Grant Application
This is to approve the City’s application for the Housing Accelerator grant; There is no cost to apply.
“The Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) was initially announced during the 2022 Federal Government
budget. The HAF provides $4 billion in grant funding to Canadian municipalities to increase housing
supply at an accelerated pace… The City could receive funding between $7 to $12 million, based on the anticipated residential housing units incented over the course of the program (over and above the number of units that could have been developed without the HAF).”
Amendments to Procedure Bylaw
Stemming from the discussion/direction given at our Standing Committee of the Whole meeting on July 11, these are amendments regarding how Council does business.
Volunteer Opportunity Awareness Initiatives ($15,000)
One member of Council has proposed that we spend $15,000 per year to work with the Youth and Seniors Advisory committees to implement a volunteer awareness program. As Admin has already been doing this, since 2021 generally, and with the Youth Committee in particular for some time, Admin has advised that the $15,000 is not required to continue the work.
Annual Poundmaker Pow Wow - 50 th Anniversary ($5,000)
This is a motion from one member of Council to fund this event through the Council Contingency and Sponsorship funds. I’m not sure why this didn’t go through out Community Events Grant process, as it’s clearly aligned with our various sponsorship goals - I’d be shocked if this didn’t pass, no matter the funding source.
“Council sponsorship of this event allows for elder support, security costs, signage, advertising, and first aid. The City’s corporate logo is also displayed on promotional materials. In addition to Council financial sponsorship of this event, City staff are volunteering at a booth throughout the weekend at the Pow Wow, and a transit charter service is available from Naki Transit Centre to Poundmaker’s Lodge throughout the weekend.”
Botanic Gardens Park Parking Lot (~$1.3M)
This is a motion from an individual member of Council to put the paving of the gravel lot at the Botanic Gardens on our 10-year infrastructure plan. Council removed paving of all the gravel lots from our 10-year plan a couple of years ago because they weren’t as high a priority as many other projects - and we already don’t have enough income to fund higher-priority items. If we do pave this - or any of the gravel lots, we would also have to increase ongoing maintenance costs.
Lacombe Lake Parking Lot (~$2.1M)
Same as the Botanic Gardens lot, except pricier.
Spring Leaf/Organics Fall Schedule (~$45,000)
This is a motion from an individual member of Council to “introduce a curbside leaf/organics pickup in the late spring/early summer that mirrors the fall collection schedule”. This list of reasons why this isn’t recommended is long, but generally: 1. If people participate in the fall program, there is no need for a spring program. 2. Hibernating pollinators are in “yard waste” in the spring and destroying these habitats reduces pollinator sustainability. 3. We started encouraging people to leave grass clippings on their lawns a couple years ago (reduced need for water, fertilizer, etc.) so hopefully most people aren’t even sending away grass.
Millenium Park ($16.9M)
This is a motion from a member of Council to fund the Millennium Park development that’s been in the works for about a decade. We’ve already spent a lot on the planning phases of this project, so this funding would bring it to life. If we fund this in one go rather than the currently planned multiple phases, we will likely realize time and cost savings.
Long Term Policing Strategy(~$100,000)
This is my motion to create a long-term policing strategy. This motion came from the discussion last spring that highlighted that our existing plan is about a decade old, quite outdated - and my concerns with deciding on the number of officers that is/isn’t appropriate for out community without any discussion of desired outcomes. Admin has proposed that, rather than a stand-alone project as soon as 2024, we instead incorporate this research/plan into our Community Well Being Plan, which is expected to be developed in 2026. I like this idea of policing being within an overall wellness plan, rather than a stand-alone initiative - I had concerns about codifying out blanket desire for x-officers for every x-residents because of this kind of metric that isn’t tied to any particular outcome, so a more holistic plan would be great.
Removing Ball Diamond from Community Amenities Site(+$14M)
This is a motion from a member of Council proposing that we remove the planned ball diamond in the Cherot neighbourhood, and instead add a second sheet of indoor practice ice. Right now, indoor arena are booked about 46% of the time overall, and 94% of the time during “peak” hockey/ringette/ice times. This is in-line with pre-covid trends, so we’re not expecting to need more than the one arena that is already planned. We also just funded ($5M) a twin arena project in Forest Lawn, which means that the ball diamond in that park will be removed to make space for two sheets of ice that were billed as great practice ice. Admin also suggests that an additional sheet at Servus Place might be a better location.
Removing High School from Community Amenities Plan
This is a motion from a member of Council to remove the high school from the Cherot site, which is the only serviced high-school site currently available, and move it to the Badger Lands. We’re already exploring options for a high school at this location, but it’s not shovel-ready, and both sites are probably needed long-term. “Administration has some concern that removal of the Community Amenities high school site from the school site inventory could leave the City short of high school options in the long term.” If this passes, we’ll have to update the Cherot Area Structure Plan - and the ASP for the Badger Lands, which we’re expected to see this fall, and we’d do a big re-write of the Community Amenities Site plan as the existing plan has the high school as a major component.
This is a brief and incomplete overview of our meetings, with my personal comments sprinkled in - In no way are my opinions representative of the official direction of council or the City of St. Albert. Please let me know of any typos or errors. Members of the public can register to speak if they have information to present to council. Full agenda packages can be found on the stalbert.ca website.